Going digital is, in Chris’ opinion, a morale and ethical imperative. We are the stewards of other people’s history and it’s our job to ensure their data are secure for as long as it takes. This quote regarding the destruction of the Brazil Museum in September of 2018 says it all:

Folks, there’s nothing left from the Linguistics division. We lost all the indigenous languages collection: the recordings since 1958, the chants in all the languages for which there are no native speakers alive anymore, the Curt Niemuendaju archives: papers, photos, negatives, the original ethnic-historic-linguistic map localizing all the ethnic groups in Brazil, the only record that we had from 1945. The ethnological and archeological references of all ethnic groups in Brazil since the 16th century… An irreparable loss of our historic memory. It just hurts so much to see all in ashes.